RMG workers strike in Savar, Gazipur over wage and benefit demands

Workers from five ready-made garment (RMG) factories in Savar and Gazipur went on strike today, demanding annual pay raises, increased bonuses, and allowances.

Three factories in Savar and two in Gazipur witnessed demonstrations that disrupted production, pushing management towards negotiations.

In Gazipur's Konabari area, workers of Islam Group and Tusuka Group, owned respectively by former DNCC mayor Atiqul Islam and former AL lawmaker Fayzur Rahman Badal, staged peaceful protests starting at 8am.

The workers of Islam Group listed 21 demands, including the dismissal of specific managers and Human Resources staff, a 5% annual pay hike, Tk1,000 attendance bonuses, and other allowances.

Tusuka Group workers presented 16 demands, including a 10% annual pay hike, attendance bonuses, maternity leave, and certain religious holidays.

Security forces, including the Bangladesh Army, Border Guard Bangladesh, Rapid Action Battalion, and police, were deployed to monitor the protest.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Dipak Chandra Majumder of Gazipur Industrial Police-2 later confirmed that Islam Group management agreed to the workers' demands by midday, and most workers left the scene.

However, Tusuka Group's management continued negotiations with its employees to resolve their grievances.

Meanwhile, in Savar's Hemayetpur area, workers from Neo Fashion Limited of Vertex Group, Standard Group's The Civil Engineers Oven Ltd and The Civil Engineers Wash Ltd, launched protests over various demands.

Neo Fashion Limited workers presented a 26-point demand, which included compensation for a female worker who was injured on-site on Thursday evening.

Workers claimed that the injured employee was not given prompt medical attention, leading to the demands for better safety and compensation.

Neo Fashion management initially declared a holiday today to calm the protests and later agreed to 18 out of 26 demands after negotiations.

Additionally, workers at Standard Group's factories in Hemayetpur demanded the dismissal of specific personnel.

The management had previously agreed to dismiss certain employees following earlier protests but had not yet announced these decisions directly from top-level leadership, leading to renewed unrest among workers.

In October, Standard Group management had temporarily closed the factory under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Law amid ongoing protests but reopened it after a reconciliation meeting on 31 October, agreeing to most demands.

Despite prior settlements on issues such as night-shift allowances, attendance bonuses, and cashing out unused leave, the recent demonstrations reflect ongoing tensions and unmet expectations among RMG workers.

As of the latest update, workers had vacated the premises in both Savar and Gazipur, with regular work anticipated to resume soon in most factories.

The owners were unavailable for comment and they have not issued any statements.